The present invention relates to a disposable measuring tape and template which has improved ease of use over prior art tapes, and which eliminates the necessity for manual measurement. The instant invention is suitable for use in any situation in which conventional measuring devices are employed. However, the present invention is particularly advantageous when utilized as a template or guide in the construction of buildings or other static structures to indicate the placing of the structural members which comprise the completed frame structure without the necessity of manually measuring the proper spacing for each member. It is additionally advantageous for use in masonry applications. More particularly, the instant invention is highly suitable for use as a guide to directly obtain without error the proper positions of studding, beams, trusses, metal members, and the framing of structural openings such as door, window, stairwells, vents, etc., in the construction of buildings and other structures, without the necessity of manually measuring the proper positioning and spacing of these members. It is also highly suitable for obtaining the proper spacing between courses in masonry applications. As a further aspect, the present invention provides a method for utilizing the measuring device of this invention to completely manufacture structural frames, including the framing of structural openings, without the necessity of manual measurement or resort to a plurality of measuring or geometric devices. Through use of the instant measuring device, the present invention further provides a facile method for erecting joists within a structural frame, and for determining the proper spacing between each row of bricks in the manufacture of masonry walls, particularly around structural openings therein, without the necessity for a plurality of manual measurement operations.
The prior art has long recognized that flexible measuring tapes, such as canvas measuring tapes or flexible metal measuring tapes, may be advantageously employed in a plethora of common applications. However, the necessity of holding these devices stationary in order to obtain a true measurement often renders their use awkward, particularly where no assistance is available and large distances must be measured. Moreover, the use of these devices entails a manual measurement operation, which can be very time consuming and a significant source of costly errors, particularly in construction applications, where a large number of measurements must be made over long distances. Accordingly, the deficiencies associated with these devices render their use for many applications, such as construction applications, undesirable.
Heretofore, the prior art has been unable to develop an effective substitute for the canvas or flexible metal measuring tapes which eliminates the need for manual measurement and is facilely utilized. U.S. Pat. No. 2,187,087 discloses one prior art attempt to develop such a measuring device which comprises a length of gummed or plain tape of paper or gauze adapted to be secured to a suitable base member and having imprinted thereon a set of indicia which corresponds to the desired spacing of a particular structural member, such as studdings, in the construction of buildings. For positioning other structural members, such as beams, trusses, and the like, a separate tape is employed for each member; each tape having imprinted thereon a set of indicia which corresponds to the desired spacing of the particular structural member.
The flexible template disclosed in this patent, however, suffers from numerous deficiencies which militate against its use in situations in which precise measurements are required, such as in construction applications. The high stretch of the paper or gauze backing of this tape produces a systematic measurement error which becomes increasingly more serious the longer the length of tape employed, and becomes a significant source of error with large construction jobs, sometimes resulting in errors of such magnitude that costly correction is necessary. Moreover, the use of a plain or gummed tape prevents this template from being readily utilized, particularly where long distances must be measured. The workman using this device must either wet the tape before its application to a base member or secure it by means of other suitable extraneous fastenings.
The most significant deficiency from which this template suffers, though, is that in the construction of building frames a plurality of such tapes must be employed for each particular structural member, and other geometric devices must be resorted to in order to center and position the frame members of structural openings within a building frame. For example, in order to position the framing for window openings, the patentee resorts to a supplemental template having a numerical scale, i.e., an inch scale, displayed thereon in order to space the window frame members a desired distance. Even with this provision, however, a standard measuring device must still be resorted to in order to properly center the structural opening within the building frame proper. Use of the patentee's template therefore does not eliminate the necessity for manual measurement. In order to manufacture a complete building frame with the patentee's template, a plurality of templates having indicia corresponding to the desired spacing of the building structural members, and additional measuring devices having numerical scales displayed thereon must be employed. Rather than simplifying the measurement operation in building construction, therefore, use of the patentee's templates only complicates the matter and presents an additional systematic source of measurement error over that found in conventional canvas or flexible metal measuring tapes.
It would be desirable therefore to provide a measuring device which eliminates the need for manual measurement, which is facilely employed, which enables the manufacture of an entire structural frame without resorting to other measurement devices, and which does not suffer from systematic measurement errors attributable to a high stretch.